Solid marking composition containing glitter

ABSTRACT

A solid marking composition comprising a waxy material, particularly a plasticizer and a fatty acid, an emollient, a pigment, and glitter, which is suitable for use in writing instruments, such as crayons, and may be applied to porous and non-porous substrates such that the glitter is retained in the marking composition on the marked surface.

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 07/860,973, filed Mar. 31, 1992,nowabandoned. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a solid marking composition and to awriting instrument fabricated from such a solid marking composition. Inparticular, this invention relates to a solid marking composition thatcomprises glitter and to crayons fabricated from such a solid markingcomposition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known in the art that solid marking compositions can beformulated from mixtures of waxes, fatty acids, colorants, and colorextenders. These solid marking compositions can be used to fabricatecrayons, which can be used to draw, write, or color on porous andnon-porous substrates. Crayons are most often used on various types ofpaper, such as notebook paper, art paper, and posterboard. Furthermore,crayons are available in a wide selection of colors, ranging fromprimary colors to fluorescent colors.

Attempts have been made to combine glitter with conventional crayons inorder to produce a glitter crayon which yields a glitter effect onsubstrates during the normal use of a crayon to impart color to asubstrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,669 discloses a water-soluble crayoncomposition consisting of water-soluble wax such as microcrystallinewax, polymeric thickener such as polyacrylic acid, color, and glitter.U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,013 discloses a crayon composition comprising a basewax binder such as the combination of paraffin, candelilla, and carnaubawaxes, an emulsifying agent such as stearic acid, and reflective flake.

The attempts to prepare a glitter crayon, however, have not as yet beensuccessful, and the prior art does not teach a solid marking compositionwhich can impart glitter to a surface in as easy a manner as the surfacemay be colored. There has been marketed a metal-swirl version of aCrayola® crayon which contains fine particles of aluminum; however,while this type of crayon yields a swirl effect and alters the typicalpigment, such a crayon does not impart a glitter effect to a substrate.Thus, there remains a need for a solid marking composition to impartglitter to a substrate during normal coloring of the substrate with thesolid marking composition.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such a solid markingcomposition which imparts glitter to a surface upon coloring the surfacewith the solid marking composition. It is another object of the presentinvention to provide a solid marking composition containing glitter thatis suitable for use on porous and nonporous substrates and that can beused to substantially fix the glitter on a marked substrateindefinitely. It is a further object of the present invention to providea solid marking composition containing glitter which may be easilyremoved from a nonporous marked substrate, e.g., through the use of mildsoap and water. It is still another object of the present invention toprovide a solid marking composition suitable for use in writinginstruments such as crayons.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, as wellas additional inventive features, will become apparent from thedescription of the present invention provided herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a solid marking composition thatcomprises a waxy material, such as a fatty acid in combination with aplasticizer, an emollient, a pigment, and glitter. The composition mayadditionally comprise other components such as fillers, processing aids,cleanability agents, and the like. The composition is formulated suchthat the glitter is capable of being retained on a substrate when thecomposition is deposited on the substrate through the normal activity ofmarking the substrate with the composition.

The solid marking composition may be applied to porous and non-poroussubstrates, and, in the absence of an effort to remove the composition,the composition with the glitter is retained on marked surfacesindefinitely. The addition of a cleanability additive to the compositionenables the solid marking composition to be easily removed fromnon-porous substrates, if so desired.

The solid marking composition is suitable for use in writinginstruments. In particular, the composition is especially suitable foruse in crayons.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The solid marking composition of the present invention comprises a waxymaterial, particularly a plasticizer and a fatty acid, an emollient, apigment, and glitter, such that the glitter is capable of being retainedon a substrate when the composition is, deposited on the substrate. Thepresent inventive composition is particularly well-suited for use inpreparing glitter crayons.

The waxy material is any material with sufficient hardness to behandled, yet soft enough that abrasion of the material at reasonablepressure against a substrate such as paper will result in the materialadhering to the substrate Solid marking compositions for crayonsgenerally utilize one of three primary waxy materials Traditionalcrayons are based on paraffin wax and stearic acid. Plastic crayons usepolyethylene resin and a plasticizer, and water-soluble crayons utilizewater-soluble polyethylene glycol resins

The waxy material in the context of the present invention may be asingle compound, but will more likely be a mixture of compounds which incombination provide the desired properties of the marking composition.The preferred waxy material for use in the context of the presentinvention is the combination of a plasticizer and a fatty acid. The waxymaterial may be present in any suitable amount, preferably from about40% to about 80% by weight of the total marking composition and mostpreferably in an amount from about 60% to about 75% by weight of thetotal marking composition. The preferred waxy material of mixture of aplasticizer and a fatty acid may have any suitable weight ratio of thosetwo components. The preferred weight ratio of plasticizer:fatty acid is50:50 to about 80:20 and most preferably about 60:40 to about 70:30.

The plasticizer may be any suitable material and will generally compriseone or more paraffin waxes, microcrystalline waxes, synthetic waxes,natural waxes, vegetable fats and hydrogenated and sulfonatedderivatives thereof, animal fats and hydrogenated derivatives thereof,fatty esters of glycols, fatty acid salts of alkali and alkaline earthmetals and aluminum, and mixtures thereof. The plasticizer is preferablyone that has a melting point in the range of about 52° C. (125° F.) toabout 82° C. (180° F.), most preferably in the range of about 52° C.(125° F.) to about 68° C. (155° F.). A paraffin wax is most preferred asthe plasticizer, particularly in combination with microcrystalline wax,such as in a weight ratio of paraffin wax:microcrystalline wax of about95:5 to about 80:20. The addition of small quantities ofmicrocrystalline wax aids in the processing of the solid markingcomposition, as well as the laydown and glitter adhesion properties ofthe solid marking composition.

The plasticizer may be present in any suitable amount, preferably in anamount from about 20% to about 65% by weight of the total markingcomposition and more preferably in an amount from about 35% to about 45%by weight of the total marking composition. When the plasticizer is amixture of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, then the paraffin wax ispreferably present in an amount from about 30% to about 40% by weight ofthe total marking composition, while the microcrystalline wax ispreferably present in an amount from about 1% to about 5% by weight ofthe total marking composition.

The fatty acid may be a saturated fatty acid, an unsaturated fatty acid,or a mixture of fatty acids. It is preferred that the fatty acid is onethat adds strength to the composition and has from about 12 to about 24carbon atoms, preferably about 14 to about 18 carbon atoms. Suitablefatty acids include lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearicacid, and mixtures thereof. The fatty acid is preferably stearic acidalone or a mixture of palmitic and stearic acids, particularly in a55:45 weight ratio. Stearic acid is the most preferable fatty acid inthe context of the present invention.

The fatty acid may be present in any suitable amount, preferably in anamount from about 5% to about 40% by weight of the total markingcomposition and most preferably in an amount from about 20% to about 30%by weight of the total marking composition.

The emollient is designed to enable the solid marking composition tomore readily and easily be imparted to a substrate through normalapplication of the solid marking composition to the substrate. Theemollient thereby provides a lubricant effect or slipperiness to thesolid marking composition to facilitate the gliding of the solid markingcomposition across the surface of a substrate and to ensure a smoothlaydown of the solid marking composition onto the substrate. Theemollient also assists in ensuring the retention of the glitter in thesolid marking composition imparted to the substrate. As such, theemollient will typically be a liquid or paste at room io temperature andis preferably miscible in the waxy material such as the combination of aplasticizer, e.g., paraffin wax, and a fatty acid, e.g., stearic acid.Any suitable emollient may be used in the present inventive solidmarking composition, such as lanolin oil and its derivatives, mineraloil, fatty esters, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, mono- anddi-esters of propylene glycols, glycerol di-esters, mono- and di-estersof polyethylene glycols, petrolatum, vegetable shortenings, dimers andtrimers of fatty acids, plant oils, silicones, and mixtures thereof.

Suitable lanolin derivatives include acetylated lanolin, acetylatedlanolin alcohol, hydrogenated lanolin, lanolin alcohol, lanolin acids,isopropyl lanolate, lanolin wax, and hydroxylated lanolin. Suitablefatty esters and fatty acid esters include isopropyl myristate, myristylmyristate, and esterified fatty acid propoxylates such aspolyoxypropylene (2) myristyl ether propionate. Suitable fatty alcoholsinclude oleyl alcohol, and suitable vegetable shortenings includeKremit® (Armour, Omaha, Nebraska). Suitable plant oils include castoroil, coconut oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil,soybean oil, wheat germ oil, corn oil, avocado oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, palm oil, and sunflower seedoil. Suitable silicones include Dow-Corning® 556, 593, and 1107 fluids(Dow-Corning, Midland, Michigan). Other possible emollients includelonger chain hydrocarbons, particularly alkenes, such aspolyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene block copolymers such as Pluronic® 25R4and Pluronic® 25R8 (BASF, Parsippany, New Jersey).

The emollient is preferably selected from the group consisting oflanolin oil and its derivatives, mineral oil, plant oils, and mixturesthereof. Lanolin oil is the most preferred emollient in the context ofthe present invention; however, mineral oil is also a very goodemollient and less expensive than lanolin oil. While the use of lanolinoil alone as the emollient is preferred, lanolin oil may be used incombination with mineral oil or another emollient, such aspolyoxypropylene (2) myristyl ether propionate which provides enhancedlaydown properties in combination with lanolin oil.

The emollient may be present in any suitable amount, preferably in anamount from about 3% to about 20% by weight of the total markingcomposition and most preferably in an amount from about 5% to about 10%by weight of the total marking composition.

The solid marking composition is preferably pigmented. The pigment maybe an inorganic pigment, an organic pigment, or a mixture thereof. Theinorganic pigment is preferably iron blue, iron oxide, zinc oxide,ultramarine blue, titanium dioxide, or a mixture thereof. The organicpigment is preferably an azo, a naphthol, or a phthalo pigment. Dyes,either acidic or basic, can also be used in the present inventivemarking composition, although pigments are preferred over dyes.

The pigment preferably has a particle size in the range of about 0.1micron to about 25 microns. More preferably, the pigment has a particlesize in the range of about 0.3 micron to about 20 microns, and, mostpreferably, the pigment particle size is in the range of about 0.5micron to about 15 microns.

The pigment may be present in any suitable amount. The present inventivemarking composition preferably contains pigment in an amount from about0.5% to about 15% by weight of the total marking composition, morepreferably from about 2% to about 10% by weight of the total markingcomposition, and most preferably in an amount from about 3% to about 10%by weight of the total marking composition.

The glitter may be of any suitable material and will generally comprisea metallic material, a nonmetallic material, or, more commonly, areflective material coating, such as a metal coating, on a suitablesubstrate such as a polymer or other solid organic substrate. Suitablemetallic glitters include particles or flakes of aluminum, copper,silver, gold, brass, or other metals. Suitable non-metallic glittersinclude particles or flakes of cellulose acetate, poly(ethyleneterephthalate), polymethacrylate, poly(vinylbutyral), and the like.Suitable metallized glitters include coated metallized materials such ascoated aluminum metallized cellulose acetate, poly(ethyleneterephthalate), polymethacrylate, poly(vinylbutyral), and the like.Coated aluminum metallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) is the preferredglitter for use in the context of the present invention.

The glitter may be any color (e.g., silver, gold, blue, red, etc.) oreven a mixture of colors. If pigment is present in the solid markingcomposition, the glitter may be the same color as the pigment or adifferent color from the pigment.

The glitter also may be of any dimensions that are suitable for use insuch a composition. The glitter is preferably less than about0.05×0.05×0.005 cm (0.02×0.02×0.002 inches) in size, more preferablyless than about 0.03×0.03×0.003 cm (0.01×0.01×0.001 inches) in size, andmost preferably about 0.02×0.02×0.003 cm (0.008×0.008×0.001 inches) toabout 0.02×0.02×0.001 cm (0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches), or even about0.01×0.01×0.001 cm (0.004×0.004×0.005 inches) or less, in size, althoughglitter which is too small in size may not exhibit a desirable glittereffect.

The glitter may be present in any suitable amount, preferably less thanabout 15% by weight of the total marking composition, more preferably inan amount from about 3% to about 10% by weight of the total markingcomposition, and most preferably in an amount from about 4% to about 8%by weight of the total marking composition.

Since the components of the present inventive marking composition arepreferably combined and mixed in semisolid or liquid form at elevatedtemperature, it is most preferred that the glitter not produceirritating fumes at elevated temperatures, e.g., up to 110°-121° C.(230°-250° F.), although such fumes do not adversely affect theperformance of the solid marking composition of the present invention.

The solid marking composition may additionally include filler. Thefiller preferably functions as a pigment dispersant or extender, ifpigment is added to the marking composition. Any suitable filler may beutilized, such as calcium carbonate, talc, silica, clay (e.g., kaolinclay), feldspar, corn starch, mica, and mixtures thereof. The mostpreferred fillers are talc and kaolin clay. The particle size of thefiller is preferably 50 microns or less, most preferably 25 microns orless, although if mica is used, the particle size is preferably about25-75 microns. Talc of about 3-6 microns average diameter particle sizeis most preferred for use in the present invention.

The filler may be present in any suitable amount, preferably in anamount up to about 25% by weight of the total marking composition, morepreferably in an amount of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the totalmarking composition, and most preferably in an amount from about 10% toabout 15% by weight of the total marking composition.

A cleanability additive is also preferably added to the solid markingcomposition to aid in the removal of the composition, preferably withmild soap and water, from non-porous surfaces, such as table tops,counter tops, etc. Suitable cleanability additives includepolyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene block copolymers, polyoxyethylenealcohols, polyoxyethylene esters, polyoxyethylene ethers, andderivatives and mixtures thereof. The solid marking compositionpreferably contains a cleanability agent such as polyoxyethylene (12)tridecyl ether or alcohol, polyoxyethylene (10) alkyl aryl ether,polyoxyethylene (40) stearate, or polyoxyethylene (20) stearyl alcohol.The solid marking composition more preferably contains polyoxyethylene(40) stearate (available as Lipopeg® 39S (Lipo Chemicals, Patterson, NewJersey)) or polyoxyethylene o 20 (12) tridecyl ether alcohol (availableas Renex® 30 (ICI America, Wilmington, Delaware)), most preferably amixture of the two. Certain emollients may also act as cleanabilityadditives or aid in cleanability, such aspolyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene block copolymers, e.g., Pluronic® 25R4or 25R8.

The cleanability additive may be present in any suitable amount,preferably in an amount up to about 5% by weight of the total markingcomposition, more preferably in an amount from about 1% to about 4% byweight of the total marking composition, and most preferably in anamount from about 1% to about 3% by weight of the total markingcomposition.

Other additives may be also incorporated into the marking composition ofthe present invention, including, for example, processing aids such asfoam inhibitors and mold release agents, as well as oxidation and UVstabilizers. Suitable foam inhibitors include petroleum hydrocarbonssuch as Foamkill® 614 (Crucible Chemical Co., Greenville, SouthCarolina). Suitable mold release agents include the Group IIA metalsalts of fatty acids, particularly calcium stearate. Suitable oxidationstabilizers include sterically hindered phenols. Suitable UV stabilizersinclude hindered amine light stabilizers and benzotriazoles.

The solid marking composition of the present invention may be preparedin any appropriate manner. The components are preferably heated to asemisolid, or more preferably, liquid, state and mixed together.Generally, a portion of the waxy material, e.g., plasticizer and fattyacid, is heated above its melting temperature, e.g., to about 104°-116°C. (220°-240° F.). Then, the remainder of the waxy material incombination with the glitter is added to the liquified waxy material,while stirring the composition with suitable stirring means, such as,for example, a disperser head mixer. The filler and pigment are thenadded in sequence to the composition after the waxy material and glittercombination have melted under continued stirring of the composition. Theemollient, along with any other additives such as cleanability agentsand the like, are added to the liquified waxy material, while continuingto stir the composition. The composition is then appropriately molded,such as by pouring the composition into flatbed molds and cooling thecomposition into suitable forms using conventional techniques.

The solid marking composition of the present invention is hard enough tohandle, yet soft enough to allow for the laydown of the composition on asubstrate in the course of the normal marking of a substrate with thecomposition. In that respect, the solid marking composition preferablyhas a hardness defined by a needle penetration value of about 25 toabout 45 mm, more preferably about 30 to about 40 mm, as determined by atest method similar to ASTM Standard Test Method D 1321-85 ("NeedlePenetration of Petroleum Waxes"). Specifically, the needle penetrationvalues set forth herein were determined by using an ASTM SpecificationD-5-52 Serial No. L-285 penetration needle and a weight of 278 grams.The solid marking composition is formed into a crayon by conventionaltechniques and placed in a cradle on the penetrometer table. The crayontemperature is maintained at 22±1° C. (72±1° F.). The table of thepenetrometer is adjusted to enable accurate placement of the tip of theneedle on the level surface of the crayon while maintaining a zeroreading on the indicator. A weight of 278 grams is placed on the collarof the shaft and the needle shaft is smoothly released. The needle isallowed to drop for 5.0±0.1 seconds and then stopped. The indicatorshaft of the penetrometer is depressed until stopped by the needleshaft, and the penetration of the needle is read from the indicatordial. This procedure is repeated three or four times, with needlelocations approximately 1.27 cm (0.5 inches) apart, and the averageneedle penetration value is reported as the needle penetration value forthe solid marking composition.

The solid marking composition of the present invention is suitable foruse in writing instruments, in particular, crayons, and may be appliedto a variety of porous and non-porous writing surfaces or substrates.The solid marking composition is such that, upon application of thesolid marking composition to a surface (e.g., using the solid markingcomposition to mark or color a substrate), the glitter is retained inthe marking composition on the marked surface.

The following examples serve to further illustrate the present inventionand are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

Preferred embodiments of the solid marking composition for use incrayons may be prepared as follows, with all percentages being weightpercentages based on the total weight of the solid marking composition.

    ______________________________________                                        Component       Preferred Range                                                                            Optimal Range                                    ______________________________________                                        paraffin wax    20-60%       30-40%                                           microcrystalline wax                                                                          0-10%        1-5%                                             stearic acid    5-40%        20-30%                                           lanolin oil     3-20%         5-10%                                           Lipopeg ® 39S                                                                             0-5%         1-5%                                             Renex ® 30  0-5%         1-5%                                             Foamkill ® 614                                                                            0-3%         0.5-2%                                           pigment         2-15%        3-8%                                             talc (3.3 μm ave. diameter)                                                                0-25%        10-20%                                           coated aluminum metallized                                                                    1-15%         5-10%                                           poly(ethylene terephthalate)                                                  glitter                                                                       ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 2

Other preferred embodiments of the solid marking composition for use incrayons may be prepared as follows, with all percentages being weightpercentages based on the total weight of the solid marking composition.

    ______________________________________                                        Component       Preferred Range                                                                            Optimal Range                                    ______________________________________                                        stearic:palmitic acid                                                                          5-40%       20-25%                                           mixture (55:45 weight ratio)                                                  paraffin wax    20-65%       40-45%                                           lanolin oil     3-9%         5-7%                                             polyoxypropylene (2)                                                                          0.5-2%       1-2%                                             myristyl ether propionate                                                     Pluronic ® 25R8                                                                           1-5%         2-4%                                             pigment         0.5-15%       3-10%                                           talc (3.3 μm ave. diameter)                                                                 0-25%       10-15%                                           Renex ® 30  1-4%         1-3%                                             coated aluminum metallized                                                                     3-10%       4-8%                                             poly(ethylene terephthalate)                                                  glitter                                                                       ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 3

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.4 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.7 wt. % paraffin wax, 6.4 wt.% lanolin oil, 2.7 wt. % Pluronic® 25R8, 1.1 wt. % polyoxypropylene (2)myristyl ether propionate, 1.3 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.7 wt. % pigment(blue), 13.3% talc (3.3 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, demonstrated good, smoothlaydown properties and retained the glitter in the marking compositionon the marked surface.

EXAMPLE 4

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 21.9 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 40.8 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.7 wt.% mineral oil, 1.6 wt. % lanolin oil, 3.7 wt. % Pluronic® 25R4, 1.6 wt.% polyoxypropylene (2) myristyl ether propionate, 3.1 wt. % Renex® 30,4.4 wt. % pigment (red), 13.1 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.3wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silverglitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solidmarking composition, upon application to ordinary notebook paper,demonstrated good, smooth laydown properties and retained the glitter inthe marking composition on the marked surface, although not quite aswell as the formulation of Example 3.

EXAMPLE 5

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 2.5 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.8 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.8 wt.% mineral oil, 1.6 wt. % lanolin oil, 1.6 wt. % polyoxypropylene (2)myristyl ether propionate, 4.3 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.6 wt. % pigment (red),13.4 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter(0.02×0.02×0.00×00.1 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid markingcomposition, upon application to ordinary notebook paper, demonstratedgood, smooth laydown properties and retained the glitter in the markingcomposition on the marked surface, although not quite as well as theformulation of Example 3. The solid marking composition did not have asgood cleanability characteristics as the formulation of Example 4.

EXAMPLE 6

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.3 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.4 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.7 wt.% mineral oil, 3.7 wt. % Pluronic® 25R4, 1.6 wt. % polyoxypropylene (2)myristyl ether propionate, 3.2 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.5 wt. % pigment (red),13.3 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, retained the glitter in themarking composition on the marked surface, but exhibited a decrease inlaydown properties as compared to the formulations of Examples 3-5.

EXAMPLE 7

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.3 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.4 wt. % paraffin wax, 8.0 wt.% lanolin oil, 4.2 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.5 wt. % pigment (red), 13.3 wt. %talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminum metallizedpoly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, demonstrated good, smoothlaydown properties and retained the glitter in the marking compositionon the marked surface. The solid marking composition did not have asgood cleanability characteristics as some of the other formulations.

EXAMPLE 8

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.5 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.8 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.8 wt.% lanolin oil, 3.8 wt. % Pluronic® 25R4, 1.1 wt. % polyoxypropylene (2)myristyl ether propionate, 2.8 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.6 wt. % pigment (red),13.4 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, demonstrated good, smoothlaydown properties and retained the glitter in the marking compositionon the marked surface.

EXAMPLE 9

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.3 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 41.4 wt. % paraffin Wax, 4.8 wt.% lanolin oil, 3.7 wt. % Pluronic® 25R8, 1.1 wt. % polyoxypropylene (2)myristyl ether propionate, 2.7 wt. % Renex® 30, 4.5 wt. % pigment (red),13.3 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, demonstrated good, smoothlaydown properties and retained the glitter in the marking compositionon the marked surface.

EXAMPLE 10

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 22.8 wt. % of a 55:45 weight ratiomixture of stearic and palmitic acids, 42.3 wt. % paraffin wax, 6.5 wt.% lanolin oil, wt. % polyoxypropylene (2) myristyl ether propionate, 2.7wt. % Renex® 30, 4.6 wt. % pigment (red), 13.6 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave.diameter), and 6.5 wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethyleneterephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005inches). The solid marking composition, upon application to ordinarynotebook paper, demonstrated good, smooth laydown properties andretained the glitter in the marking composition on the marked surface.The solid marking composition, however, did not have as goodcleanability characteristics as some of the other formulations.

EXAMPLE 11

A crayon utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwas prepared to approximately contain 37.8 wt. % stearic acid, 8.1 wt. %stearyl alcohol, 21.6 wt. % PEG 6000 monostearate, 5.4 wt. % PEG 20M,5.4 wt. % Kremit®, 8.1 wt. % mica, 2.7 wt. % oleyl alcohol, 2.7 wt. %pigment (magenta), and 8.1 wt. % coated aluminum metallizedpoly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.003 cm or0.008×0.008×0.001 inches). The solid marking composition, uponapplication to ordinary notebook paper, demonstrated inferior propertiescompared to the other formulations. The composition did not laydown on asubstrate, and did not retain as much of the glitter on the markedsurface, as well as the other formulations.

EXAMPLE 12

Crayons utilizing a solid marking composition that comprises glitterwere prepared to approximately contain 36.78 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.2 wt.% microcrystalline wax, 24.52 wt. % stearic acid, 8.0 wt. % lanolin oil,1.6 wt. % Lipopeg® 39S, 1.1 wt. % Renex® 30, 0.7 wt. % Foamkill® 614,4.3 wt. % pigment (orange), 13.4 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter), and6.4 wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silverglitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The solidmarking composition, upon application to ordinary notebook paper,demonstrated good, smooth laydown properties and retained the glitter inthe marking composition on the marked surface. The solid markingcomposition also exhibited good cleanability characteristics. The solidmarking composition had a needle penetration value of 35 mm. Othersimilar crayons with a variety of pigments had needle penetration valuesranging from 31 to 37 mm.

EXAMPLE 13

In order to demonstrate the importance of the presence of an emollientin the solid marking composition, two similar sets of crayons wereprepared using a solid marking composition that differed with respect tothe presence of an emollient. One set of crayons was molded from a solidmarking composition prepared to approximately contain 47.2 wt. %paraffin wax, 31.5 wt. % stearic acid, 8.2 wt. % lanolin oil, 6.5 wt. %pigment (orange), and 6.6 wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethyleneterephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005inches). The other set of crayons was molded from a solid markingcomposition prepared to approximately contain 51.8 wt. % paraffin wax,34.6 wt. % stearic acid, 7.1 wt. % pigment (orange), and 6.5 wt. %coated aluminum metallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter(0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches). The two sets ofcrayons had about the same weight ratio of paraffin wax to stearic acid,i.e., about 1.5:1 . These two sets of crayons were applied to ordinarynotebook paper for comparison of their respective laydowncharacteristics. The crayons with the emollient had superior laydowncharacteristics as compared to the crayons without the emollient. Thecrayons with the emollient exhibited good deposition of the solidmarking composition on the notebook paper and good adherence of theglitter to the substrate.

EXAMPLE 14

For comparison purposes, several glitter crayons similar to those of theExample of U.S. Patent 4,990,013 were prepared and evaluated byapplication to ordinary notebook paper.

Crayons were formed from a solid marking composition containing 40 wt. %paraffin wax, 5 wt. % candelilla wax, 5 wt. % carnauba wax, 49% stearicacid, and 1 wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethyleneterephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005inches). These crayons duplicated the crayon set forth in the Example ofthe '013 patent except with respect to the type of glitter. In preparingthese and the other crayons, the glitter was of the same coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) variety as used in the otherexamples herein. These crayons exhibited very poor laydown properties,thereby resulting in little glitter being deposited and retained on thenotebook paper.

In an attempt to improve the crayon of the Example of the '013 patent,another set of crayons was prepared using more glitter. These crayonswere formed from a solid marking composition containing 46.4 wt. %paraffin wax, 4.7 wt. % candelilla wax, 4.7 wt. % carnauba wax, 37.8%stearic acid, and 6.4 wt. % coated aluminum metallized poly(ethyleneterephthalate) silver glitter (0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005inches). The resulting crayons also exhibited very poor laydownproperties, thereby resulting in little glitter being deposited andretained on the notebook paper.

In a further attempt to improve the crayon of the Example of the '013patent, another set of crayons was prepared with the addition of thepigment and talc used in Example 12. These crayons were formed from asolid marking composition containing 37.6 wt. % paraffin wax, 3.8 wt. %candelilla wax, 3.8 wt. % carnauba wax, 30.7% stearic acid, 6.2 wt. %coated aluminum metallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) silver glitter(0.02×0.02×0.001 cm or 0.008×0.008×0.0005 inches), 5.1 wt. % pigment(orange), and 12.8 wt. % talc (5.5 μm ave. diameter). The resultingcrayons were somewhat improved but also exhibited very poor laydownproperties, thereby resulting in little glitter being deposited andretained on the notebook paper.

The hardness of these three sets of crayons was evaluated. The crayonshad needle penetration values of 13-15 mm, evidencing that the crayonswere much harder than the preferred crayons of the present invention.

All of the patents, patent applications, and other references citedherein are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.

While this invention has been described with emphasis upon a preferredembodiment, it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the artthat the preferred composition may be varied. It is intended that theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modificationsencompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solid marking composition comprising aplasticizer, a fatty acid, an emollient, a pigment, and glitter, suchthat said glitter is capable of being retained on a substrate when saidcomposition is deposited on said substrate.
 2. The solid markingcomposition of claim wherein said solid marking composition has a needlepenetration value of about 25 to about 45 mm.
 3. The solid markingcomposition of claim 1, wherein said plasticizer is selected from thegroup consisting of paraffin waxes, microcrystalline waxes, syntheticwaxes, natural waxes, vegetable fats and hydrogenated and sulfonatedderivatives thereof, animal fats and hydrogenated derivatives thereof,fatty esters of glycols, fatty acid salts of alkali and alkaline earthmetals and aluminum, and mixtures thereof, and said fatty acid has fromabout 14 to about 24 carbon atoms.
 4. The solid marking composition ofclaim 3, wherein said plasticizer is a wax having a melting point in therange of about 52° C. (125° F.) to about 82° C. (180° F.) and said fattyacid is selected from the group consisting of lauric acid, myristicacid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and mixtures thereof.
 5. The solidmarking composition of claim 4, wherein said plasticizer is a paraffinwax.
 6. The solid marking composition of claim 5, wherein said fattyacid is stearic acid.
 7. The solid marking composition of claim 6,wherein said plasticizer is present in an amount of about 20% to about65% by weight of the total marking composition and said fatty acid ispresent in an amount from about 5% to about 40% by weight of the totalmarking composition.
 8. The solid marking composition of claim 7,wherein said glitter is present in an amount from about 3% to about 10%by weight of the total marking composition.
 9. The solid markingcomposition of claim 8, wherein said glitter is coated aluminummetallized poly(ethylene terephthalate).
 10. The solid markingcomposition of claim 6, wherein said emollient is selected from thegroup consisting of lanolin oil and its derivatives, mineral oil, fattyesters, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, mono- and di-esters ofpropylene glycols, glycerol di-esters, mono- and di-esters ofpolyethylene glycols, petrolatum, vegetable shortening, dimers andtrimers of fatty acids, plant oils, silicones, and mixtures thereof. 11.The solid marking composition of claim wherein said emollient isselected from the group consisting of lanolin oil and its derivatives,mineral oil, plant oils, and mixtures thereof.
 12. The solid markingcomposition of claim 11, wherein said emollient is lanolin oil.
 13. Thesolid marking composition of claim 12, wherein said emollient is presentin an amount from about 3% to about 20% by weight of the total markingcomposition.
 14. The solid marking composition of claim 13, wherein saidpigment is present in an amount from about 2% to about 15% by weight ofthe total marking composition.
 15. The solid marking composition ofclaim 14, which additionally comprises a filler.
 16. The solid markingcomposition of claim 15, wherein said filler is selected from the groupconsisting of calcium carbonate, talc, silica, clay, feldspar, cornstarch, mica, and mixtures thereof.
 17. The solid marking composition ofclaim 16, wherein said filler is talc.
 18. The solid marking compositionof claim 17, wherein said filler is present in an amount up to about 25%by weight of the total marking composition.
 19. A solid markingcomposition comprising about 30-40 wt. % paraffin wax, about 1-5 wt. %microcrystalline wax, about 20-30 wt. % stearic acid, about 5-10 wt. %lanolin oil, about 2-10 wt. % pigment, about 10-20 wt. % talc, and about5-10 wt. % glitter.
 20. The solid marking composition of claim 19 whichfurther comprises about 1-4 wt. % cleanability agent.